The Road Home (Easter 5A Gospel)

Download a printable PDF of the Word One Bible Study for Easter 5A Gospel.

Text: John 14:1-14 for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Lectionary Series A

Objectives

Participants will:

1. Understand that there is one way to reach our heavenly home.
2. Recognize Jesus as the only guide who can lead us there.

Materials Needed

Bible
Paper
Pencil
Small group prize

Group Guidelines

Divide into groups of 6-8 people. The person in each group who most recently looked at any kind of map will serve as the leader. The leader’s role is to keep the discussion moving. Encourage everyone to participate, but allow anyone the freedom to pass if they do not wish to share.

Building Community

1. Pass out paper and pencils. Have each group work as a team for the next five minutes to create a maze on their paper. Be sure to have them clearly mark the entrance and exit.
2. When time is up, have groups switch mazes. Give each group one minute to work as a team to find their way through the maze from beginning to end. Award the first team done with a small prize.

Looking at God’s Word

1. Ask participants to think of a time when they were lost. Have the northern-most person in the group share first, then proceed to the west around the group, having each person share their experience. Ask each person to share specifically what feelings they had when they were lost.
2. Ask participants to remember how their “lostness” was resolved, whether they finally sighted their destination, or found someone who helped them get to where they wanted to go. Have the southern-most person in the group share first, then proceed to the east around the group, having each person share their experience. Ask each person to share specifically how their feelings changed the moment they realized they were no longer lost.
3. Read John 14:1-12, then discuss the following in your group:
   1. Identify one or two verses from this passage that speak about “lostness”–who is lost and why?
   2. Identify one or two verses from this passage that speak about a destination or solution to the “lostness.” What is the destination and who or what is the solution to the “lostness”?
   3. What causes us to get lost on the way to God?
   4. According to this passage, how many roads are there that lead to God?
   5. Who is the one guide who can lead us back to the road home when we are lost?

Reinforcing What Has Been Learned

1. Have each person complete these sentences and share their response with the group:
   1. When I recognize how far from God I sometimes have allowed sin to lead me, I feel…
   2. When I remember that Jesus is always waiting to forgive me and lead me back to the road home, I feel…

Closing

Have each person identify road in their life that is currently leading them away from God. Have them write it down on a small slip of paper, then fold the paper up and hold it in their hand. Starting with the leader, have each person in the group pray in general for what is on the paper of the person to their right, asking God to help them turn off that road and return with Jesus to the road home. Have the leader close this prayer time with a prayer of thanks that God never abandons us on our dead-end roads, but always seeks us out and brings us back to the road home!

by Jeff Kranich

Originally published in Discovery Bible Studies 11, 1998.
Updated for youthESource in April 2014